XIV: Chapter Fourteen: Smooth Sailing
| Chapter content warnings: mentions of previous events and topics, including Emily's crappy parents and H3nry, one or two VERY vague allusions to sex but it's not vulgar and referring to consensual activities, some cussing again, one vague mention of murder/killing, super brief mention of pregnancy, some discussion of Egyptian mythology and gods but it's like in canon, brief mention of angels, that should be it.
| Word count: 12,352
Seven weeks after the first disastrous attempt to hold an interspecies summit, and consequently four weeks after the return of Charlotte, Nick, Stephen, and Abby, an unfamiliar mermaid appeared. She was slim (by Atlantean standards) and blonde, with a cream-colored tail not much different from her hair. Stephen and Sarah, taking a leisurely stroll together, had spotted her on the dock looking around rather helplessly. They had gone down and Stephen had recognized her as Cerise, King Lester's chiefest assistant and fiancée of Prince Ryan. She had come to deliver a message- King Lester was most grateful to the human residents (and single hybrid resident) of the Inn that had so lovingly cared for and accepted three of their own, and so valiantly risked life and limb to rescue and protect the Atlanteans. Therefore he was declaring Claudia, Jenny, Emily, Connor, Becker, Sarah, Charlotte, and Becker as honorary Atlanteans. Danny was already one by the blood of his late father, but such citizenship had not yet been extended to Patrick due to his human father.
What such honorary citizenship entailed, Cerise and Stephen explained, was a host of benefits. They would be kept informed of Atlantean news. If a Neptunian mermaid or merman (or any mermaid or merman outside of Atlantis) caused any trouble for them, it would be considered an act of war against Atlantis just as it would be if any Atlantean mer was targeted. No Atlantean was permitted to cause any trouble for them any more than he or she was permitted to cause trouble against one of their own. They had a right to fish and sea creatures in Atlantis waters. If they broke any Atlantean laws, they would be punished accordingly (thankfully, Atlantean laws were generally reasonable). When they died, an Atlantean funeral would be held for them. They were permitted to marry Atlanteans, and any children they had- by birth or by adoption- would be automatically granted Atlantean citizenship and rights and their birth would be celebrated in Atlantis. Trade, communication, or marriage to a non-Atlantean had to be approved by Lester or the reigning monarch.
The general consensus was that those were pretty fair stipulations.
The news came as quite a shock when Stephen delivered it, Cerise having returned to the ocean. Jenny had expected them to be at least liked by the kingdom, but honorary citizenship- not to mention the provisions for their relatives and future generations- had been beyond her imagination.
Since Charlotte and Patrick were already making plans for their wedding when Cerise arrived, but since neither of them was even part-Atlantean they agreed that an Atlantean wedding wouldn't really make sense for them anyway. They had, however, noticed one or both members of every other couple around them shoot a look at the other as if seriously considering an Atlantean marriage.
They had bets going on which couple was going to discuss it first.
"You know, I really ought to give you a tour of the Inn. You've been inside a few times but you've only ever really seen the living room." Claudia mused one day, lying on the beach with Nick.
He craned his head from where it rested in her lap, one of her hands combing lovingly through his tousled blonde hair. "Sure. The plan was for me to spend more time in there, once upon a time a while ago. Should we do it now?"
She shrugged. "I've no objection to that."
So he sat up and she shook the sand out of the towel she'd been laying on- a bright red she had proclaimed firmly was actually magenta- and gave it to him so he could dry off. Whenever someone had plans to meet up with an Atlantean still in their aquatic form, the human would be sure to pack a basic outfit in case the Atlantean wanted to get out of the water. It was a habit that Connor repeatedly forgot simply out of genuine forgetfulness, but luckily his habit of wearing an average of five layers of clothing had given Abby some very temporary coverings. Claudia was not so forgetful and had brought an outfit for Nick down to the beach with her earlier.
Once he was dressed, hand-in-hand they walked to the Inn, the sun drying the water droplets that still clung to him and the grass stripping the sand from off their feet.
Claudia led Nick inside into the narrow hallway, and down to the first doorway, which was on the left. "Alright, here's the kitchen, my favorite room." She moved into the room so he could step inside as well. It was a lovely kitchen, ivory and brown, and despite Nick having no real understanding of the art of cooking in any form, it was no difficulty to believe that it was a comfortable environment for Claudia to do her work in.
"It's lovely." Nick told her truthfully.
She smiled. "I've put a lot of effort into getting it to how I like it. I know where every single thing is, and I could walk around in here blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back. I know it very well." She gestured to a door on the far wall. "Through there's the entrance to the cellar. It's not very exciting, just cobwebs and potato-sacks."
"I'll take your word for it."
She led him back through the hallway and into the living room almost directly across from her safe space. "So this is the living room, which you've obviously been in before." She gestured to the space, comfortable with its sofa and armchairs but still open. He nodded, eyes barely glancing over the familiar area. "And then right here's the dining room." She opened the double wooden doors opposite the living room that closed off the majority of the dining room. "So, guests usually eat dinner in here, or if it's bad weather they'll eat all meals here, although breakfast in bed is available by request. In the early days, when we didn't really know any of the guests, we'd just eat before or after they did, or in the kitchen and living room, but since we're all so close now we all just eat together." She gestured to a door next to the double set. "That's a hallway that just leads straight to the kitchen, so we don't have to open the big doors every time we need to come in or out, although at the end you can walk into the kitchen or the entryway hall."
They left the dining room, and Claudia pointed to a door at the far side of the living room. "Through there's the laundry and utility room. It's really cramped so I'm not gonna bring you in there; even I have a hard time with space sometimes."
She indicated the doorway in the corner adjacent to the wall the dining room was on. "That leads to upstairs. Do you wanna try the stairs, or no?"
He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll be fine." He decided.
The merman actually handled the stairs pretty well, partly thanks to the stairs and stairway both being wide. Once at the top, Nick could again move around unencumbered, and Claudia led him up and down the hall, pointing to the various doors and naming their respective rooms' occupants, but never letting him go in any of them- although he took special note of which door was hers. She pretended not to notice.
In addition to its massive upstairs filled with bedrooms and bathrooms, the inn also had an attic which was mainly used for storage. Since it was only accessible through a hatch on the ceiling and a ladder, she simply explained it to Nick instead of trying to get him up a ladder. Stairs had been difficult enough.
After that, they went back downstairs, which ended up requiring Nick to sit down and scoot down the stairs one at a time, long legs bent awkwardly. Partly to help him and partly to not humiliate him, Claudia scooted down the stairs in the same manner beside him.
Jenny saw them coming down and discreetly took a picture. When she finally showed it to Claudia, the older twin insisted on printing it out and tucking it into her mirror. Grainy as it was, their laughing smiles were clears as day and the sea.
Stephen was realizing he really didn't like human clothes- so much contact, so much confinement- but Danny had understood his struggle and helped him and Nick get a small wardrobe that they could wear.
So now Stephen was dressed in loose trousers- sort of orangey-colored things called cargo pants- and a black athletic jacket with white stripes and accents over a loose t-shirt. It was the most comfortable outfit he had and could wear for a long period of time, although the shoes were rather irritating.
But he would put up with these things for Sarah.
The same Sarah he was watching give a 'lecture' as it was called, although her voice held no notes of reproach as she taught the crowd of children and adults- including Stephen, who could see easily over all their heads- about Ancient Egypt. She was currently on the topic of one of the Pharaohs of the land in that time and was explaining how he died.
"And that's the story of Ramses II." She completed the tale of the ancient king whose likeness in stone was displayed on a pedestal above her head. "Now this, this is Anubis, the Egyptian god of embalming." She stepped over to a statue that seemed to be the head of a jackal wearing a headdress. "Now, when you died, they'd pull your brains out from inside your nose using one of these." She held up a long, thin black object that looked like a squiggly awl, even making a scratching gesture at her nose with it. "Then, Anubis would rip out your bleeding heart. And if you hadn't been very good-" she stepped to the side, to a similar statue depicting a headdress-wearing crocodilian head. "-the demon goddess Ammut would eat it, and then you're doomed to spend eternity in the underworld."
Like the children, Stephen was utterly enraptured by her words, her voice that invoked such beautiful and dramatic imagery in the minds of all her listeners. He recalled her once telling him that she wished she could call down the curses and wrath of the same gods she was now teaching about. It wasn't hard for him to imagine the false pagan deities whose statues she stood between coming to life, bringing with them bloodshed and judgement upon Helen and her sycophants at the command of Sarah's rich, theatric voice.
The sound of a woman clearing her throat in irritation had Sarah startling in surprise, turning to catch a glimpse of an annoyed-looking middle-aged blonde in a bright red jacket. "Erm- well, the museum is closed now, but I hope you all had a great day!" Sarah announced almost cheerfully, checking her watch. "Thanks!"
Sarah hurried over to the woman and Stephen moved aside to let the children go by him as they ambled away. Over their overlapping babbling chatter he could hear the woman- Marion, given how Sarah had described her colleagues- scolding Sarah for frightening the children and keeping them twenty minutes past closing time. Sarah kept trying to apologize but Marion was cutting her off and saying she didn't want to hear 'excuses'. She let out a derisive sigh as Sarah again pled her case and her eyes landed on Stephen. Ignoring Sarah, the woman took a few steps toward him. "Oi, you've gotta go, love. The museum's closed." She called, firmly but not unkindly, confusing him with the unprecedented term of endearment.
Sarah's expression morphed from frustration toward Marion into a satisfied smirk. "Actually, Marion, he's my boyfriend." She explained loudly, brushing by the woman to come stand beside Stephen.
The woman's eyes gave them a once-over and her eyebrows went up in surprise- possibly at the sheer height difference. Stephen had shrunk eight centimeters from living on land for seven weeks and spending less time in the water during that time, but Sarah still didn't quite come to his shoulder, even in her three-inch heels.
"O-Oh, I…I see. Um-" Marion was at a loss for words, the reason for which was entirely lost on Stephen (but not on Sarah).
"Yes, I just came to watch her last lecture and drive her home." Stephen half-fibbed with surprising ease. (He'd joined her lecture tours all day and would not be doing any driving). He put an arm around her, gazing down at her lovingly. "You done here, or do you need to do anything else?"
Sarah smiled. "Let me just grab my jacket and bag and I'll be right out." He nodded and she hurried away- from him and Marion.
The brightly-clad woman sent a scathing look in the Egyptologist's direction, but switched on a pleasant smile when she returned her gaze to Stephen. "I'm sorry she kept you waiting." Her voice was light, but held an acidic note of dislike for Sarah that Stephen resented.
"Oh, it's alright. I like watching her lecture, and I know she loves to do it." He dismissed her words. "You must be Marion Taylor."
Marion looked surprised. "How did you- I mean, yes, I am. What gave it away?"
Stephen smirked. "Oh, Sarah talks about you a lot. She says you're great to work with." Sarah almost never talked about her, and when she did it was with a long string of curses in both English and Latin. Stephen had lied, however, in the hopes that maybe she'd treat Sarah a little more nicely.
Marion preened. "That's lovely to hear. How long have you known Sarah?"
His smile became genuine. "Seven months." He replied. "And they've been the happiest seven months of my life."
At that moment, Sarah returned, clad in her caramel leather jacket and a messenger bag hanging from one shoulder. "Alright, I'm ready."
Stephen immediately blanked Marion. "Let's go, then." He extended a hand and she took it, enjoying how it enveloped hers as they headed for the doors at a quick walk.
Marion called out after them. "Wait! I didn't catch your name!"
Stephen pretended not to hear. He opened the door for Sarah and only let go of her hand once they'd gotten to her car. He climbed inside and got as comfortable as possible in the bucket seat, which had been lowered and pushed back for his comfort.
Sarah set her purse down and started the engine, but didn't pull out of the parking space, instead turning to Stephen with a serious look on her face. "Stephen, I'm sorry if I overstepped or was presumptuous when I called you my boyfriend. I know we haven't had the talk about what we call ourselves yet, but I didn't like how she was looking at you like a piece of meat."
Stephen smiled gently. "It's alright, Sarah. You didn't do anything wrong. I don't care what label or title you give me, as long as it's clear that you are mine and I am yours."
She beamed in response. "Well, I'm glad I didn't make you feel upset, or rushed or anything. You know I never want to make you feel that way."
Stephen nodded. "I know, and you never have. I'm not very good at understanding human emotions," he admitted, and looked up at her under long lashes, "but I know I love you."
Sarah leaned over the center console and kissed him.
The National Marine Aquarium wasn't far from the Brown Beachside Inn, and it surprised Connor that Abby loved going there. She had admitted that she hated seeing the creatures and plants of her home locked up and not in their natural environment, but she knew there was nothing she could do to change that. Besides, apparently the aquarium had done a good job in picking which plants went with which creatures, and she was glad that Connor and every other visitor had a chance to see and learn about the wonders of her home safely.
Abby's favorite thing to do with Connor there was tell him all the trivia she knew about what they saw. They became regulars at the aquarium, sometimes spending an entire day from opening time to closing time standing in front of one exhibit, her head bent to whisper in his ear all the facts and funny things about whatever was contained. The aquarium staff quickly got used to their strange behavior, but never complained.
"Okay, that one. What do you call that?" She asked, pointing.
"'Sea anemone'." Connor replied.
Abby made a 'hmm' noise. "That's not what we call it. Our name for it translates basically to 'fingers that sting'. We learned a long time ago not to touch them, although sometimes children will push each other into them, or dare one another to stick a hand in. The healers always give them a right scolding."
Connor laughed. "Human or not, kids are kids."
"Oh! See that fish?"
"The orange and white one?"
"Mm-hm. What's that?"
Connor smiled. "Clownfish. There was a movie about them- Finding Nemo. We should watch it sometime."
"Sure!" She agreed enthusiastically. "We call them 'hurtful home fish', since they live in the annamone- annemen- uh-"
"'Anemones'." Connor corrected.
"That's it." She nodded, looking sheepish. "They live in the anemones, and anemones hurt, so…."
"…'Hurtful home fish'. Right, gotcha. Makes sense." Connor nodded, smiling. "If I was a fish, what would you call me?"
Abby burst out laughing at the sheer silliness and unexpectedness of the question. "God, where do you come up with these questions? Um… 'silly smart fish', maybe."
Connor preened at being called smart. "Connor Temple, human silly smart fish." He said in a mockingly hoity-toity voice, puffing up his chest and lifting his head to imitate a snooty person. Still laughing, Abby ducked her head and kissed him on the cheek, causing a blush to rise to said cheeks, coloring his ears rosily too.
A throat was cleared nearby, and the pair turned to see one of the aquarium staff, a sweet elderly lady with glasses and very short gray hair. "I do hate to interrupt, but the aquarium closes in ten minutes, and it's a bit of a walk back to the exit." She told them politely but pointedly.
Connor saluted. "Yes, ma'am." Dropping his arm, he extended the other bent to Abby. Grinning, she accepted it, hooking her longer (and much more muscular) one through it.
"Don't you let go of him, dear." The elderly woman told Abby as she walked by. "You've got a real keeper."
Abby found herself having to agree.
Danny and Jenny had soon discovered after the first one (which had been just days after Charlotte had gotten out of the hospital, as between it being planned and then neither of them had felt right doing it) that they loved film-and-food dates. They'd started having one or even two a week, and they'd learned quickly to pick cheap and only semi-interesting films since they'd almost invariably end up making out for the majority of it, but such behavior was not permissible in public restaurants, so they actually behaved themselves when they ate. They traveled all over England, Wales, and even Ireland, enjoying the long drives to their destinations and back.
Jenny had started a photo album, assembling a picture of them taken at every restaurant along with their halves of the tickets for the corresponding films. Sometimes they had asked someone in a park or tourist attraction to take a picture of them there as well, and Jenny included those as well. She felt a little silly and childish doing it, so she hadn't told Danny even though she knew he wouldn't mind.
He had discovered the album in her and Claudia's bedroom before she'd started sharing one with him, finding it lying open on her bed since she'd left in a hurry and Claudia already knew about it. Walking in with an armload of laundry, she had found him sitting on her bed flipping through it. He had proceeded to tease her about it and held it above her head when she tried to take it back, relenting and handing it over only when Patrick called for him and he had to go. Now that they shared a bedroom, it was easily visible and accessible on one of the shelves above their headboard.
On the same day that Sarah and Stephen had told each other they loved each other, Jenny and Danny had had one of their dates. They had taken a train from the Torquay station to Arsenal Station and chosen Banaadiri Restaurant to eat at, and they had thoroughly enjoyed it. But this date was different than the usual ones. See, usually it was Jenny who picked out both who took their restaurant picture and where it was taken, but this time around, Danny asked to do both. She was bemused, but agreed.
They finished and paid the bill, but before Jenny could pick up her purse, Danny stopped her and flagged the waitress back down. Smiling, the waitress- Lorraine, according to her nametag, produced a camera and stepped a respectable distance away. Understanding, Jenny put her purse back down and drew the booth curtains for a suitable backdrop. But instead of Danny coming to put his arm around her like he usually did, he reached into his pocket and got down on one knee.
"Danny?" Jenny's heart was suddenly racing.
He was smiling his usual goofy grin. "Jenny, when I first met you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on."
A nearby patron 'aww'ed and received a death glare from Lorraine.
Unfazed, Danny continued, "Of course, when I flirted with you and you told me you had a boyfriend, I was crushed. But then you broke up with him and I had hope. And since then, you've been right by my side through some pretty weird and confusing $h!t, even when you were struggling too. Even at the worst of times, you were my rock. You kept me going… you gave me hope. And I've come to realize that I never want to spend another moment of my life, good or bad, without you. So with all that being said," he held up a cubical black velvet box and opened it, revealing the diamond ring inside. "Jenny Lewis, will you marry me?"
Eyes brimming with the happiest of tears, Jenny nodded. "Yes." She breathed. "Yes, you big oaf, I'll marry you."
His smile broke into an even bigger grin, and he stood up, taking the ring from the box and carefully sliding it onto her hand. The band itself was simple, thin and silver, but the stone was a large square diamond surrounded by several much smaller diamonds. It was bold, but classy- just like Jenny.
"It's beautiful." She told him. "I love you." She kissed him with both hands on his face, the cool touch of the ring something he was over the moon to feel, and his arms around her.
The next photos in the book were of him on one knee, ring on display with her hands pressed to her painted mouth; of him sliding the bejeweled band onto her finger; and of their subsequent embrace and kiss.
Those were their favorite photos.
After his initial tour of the Inn, Nick had developed a special affinity for the kitchen- although it was more of a fondness for watching Claudia do what she loved, humming and singing to herself as she bustled around merrily and cooked and swayed where she stood.
The kitchen was reasonably large, even if the giant central island workspace took up a lot of its floorspace. Still, it was an ideal surface to work on, whether Nick perched on it or not.
Today was one such day where he'd plonk down on the counter of the island, content to watch her do what she loved. Humming to herself and swaying her hips, she folded the mixture together with a silicone spatula.
"What song are you humming?" Nick queried.
"It's called 'At Last'. It's by a woman named Etta James." She replied. "It reminds me of us, in a way. My mum gave me some records when I moved out, and I think I've got that album somewhere. I'll play it for you sometime."
Claudia finished what she was doing in the bowl and poured the thick white substance she had been combining into a round silver dish lined with something brown that looked to Nick much like packed sand. (He assumed it was not sand.) She smoothed out the creamy white stuff and put a cover on it, then slid the entire thing onto a shelf in the refrigerator. Washing her hands, she said, "Well, I can't do anything more with the vanilla cheesecake right now; it's got to be in the fridge for a while and set. So I'm free for a bit. Anything you want to do?"
He made a 'hmm' of consideration, then smiled. "Why don't you teach me to dance?"
Immediately, those words conjured images of her and Nick dancing in soft light, surrounded by friends and family, him in a nice suit and her in a white dress, or ivory, or cream, or- She pinched herself on the thigh, attempting to banish those unexpected, fanciful thoughts. Why had a wedding- her wedding, to Nick- suddenly come to mind?!
She smiled, showing no sign of those thoughts (whose mere existence she blamed on Cerise's visit) or her shock at thinking them. "Alright then, let me put some shoes on. This'll be easier if I'm taller; besides, I'm more used to dancing with heels on, for this kind of dance anyway."
As Claudia sat on the floor and produced the heels she had used to wear when serving guests, Nick queried, "What dances do you know?"
"Well, this one's a basic waltz, but I also know the foxtrot, the jive, the quickstep, the tango, and some Celtic dances. I'm not great at tap or clog dancing, but I did take lessons for both. The waltz is pretty simple and standard, and it's easy enough to learn and teach. If you decide you like it, we could move on to other ballroom dances someday." She explained.
Claudia stood up again. "Alright, put your feet like this." She demonstrated with her own, and he copied her. "Good, now put this arm-" she maneuvered one of his hands into its proper place "-here, and this one here." She moved the other one, positioning herself properly and trying very hard not to think about just how close they were. "So, watch my feet, watch how I move them, and then I want you to move your feet like that." She performed his first two steps, then took her role's first two as he mimicked her quite well. "Good. Now, like this." Again, she demonstrated, and when he copied she took her next steps.
It took almost an hour to get Nick into the proper rhythm and pattern with the steps and the new movements of his body, and Claudia was fairly sure both she and he would be covered in bumps and bruises from whenever one had lost their balance or taken too short a step or overcompensated for one thing or other. But it was all good fun and they spent the entirety of the mistake-making period laughing their heads off.
When said period had ended and they'd actually started dancing almost properly, it was wonderful. They moved together like the gentle flow and sway of the calm sea, even and moving but not hurried or rough or turbulent. They danced in harmonious tandem like the beautiful rhythm of a poem or song, but with an ease that felt natural, instinctive.
Claudia never wanted to stop.
But eventually they did, when their feet- Nick's untrained and Claudia's clad in heels- grew sore and caused them to stumble and slip. Reluctantly, they called it quits for the day and sat down. Claudia's stomach rumbles loudly and she blushed, chuckling in embarrassment. "Sorry."
Nick smiled, not understanding her reaction. "Sounds like you need to eat something." He said, sitting cautiously on a barstool at the kitchen island. He pointed at the fridge hesitantly. "Is there something in there you can eat?"
She opened the door and peered in. "Nothing appealing." She admitted. "Mostly ingredients or stuff for later. Maybe…." She trailed off, poking through the fridge and then her freestanding pantry. "I could make Yorkshire puddings. You liked those, right?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "Aye, very good. Are they easy to make?"
"Oh, very. My mum taught me, God bless her, and she couldn't cook well to save her life- or mine and Dad's, for that matter." Claudia laughed, taking eggs out of the fridge. "My grandmother and aunts taught me so much, and between that and cooking shows, I managed to cook enough through my growing-up that we didn't have to live off undercooked and overcooked food and takeaway like Mum and Dad did when they were first married. He can make some things, but not many."
Humming softly, she puttered around the kitchen, collecting ingredients, dishes, and utensils. Nick watched in fascination as she arranged them all on the island countertop methodically. "Could I maybe try to help you?" He asked shyly.
The request took her by surprise, but she smiled softly and nodded nonetheless. "Sure." She handed him a silver measuring spoon. "Alright, fill this to the top with this flour."
However, as she might've expected, his enthusiasm didn't even out his lack of skill, and as he made to scoop flour into his measuring spoon, he used way too much force and a cloud of dusty white powder promptly slapped Claudia in the face. Nick froze, eyes wide with surprise and guilt.
Claudia coughed, a small white cloud floating away from her following the action. "Can't say that's ever happened to me before. I suppose I'm overdue."
Nick smiled deviously at her calm response, and this time with a purpose he picked up a bit of flour and flung it at her with a flick of his wrist.
"You arse." She spluttered, blinking flour out of her lashes.
Still grinning, he easily returned, "Ah, but you love me."
"Dдɱи right I do." Claudia admitted, taking them both by surprise. To avoid the deep conversation that that doubtlessly was prompting, she smirked and lunged forward, collecting some of the flour into her own hand and tossing it at his stunned face.
The bag of flour wound up getting knocked over and then one of them- neither could remember who- picked up an egg, and then they were both flinging eggs. Even the cooking oil got in on the action at some point.
Finally, Claudia insisted upon a brief truce so they could finish making the puddings and get them into the oven, but no sooner had she declared them effectively out of her hands for the time being had Nick resumed the food fight, and it was on again.
"Hey, Claudia, I-" Becker walked into the kitchen and froze. A light dusting of flour coated the floor and countertops, giving the laughing Nick and Claudia an ash-covered appearance. There were spots of the kitchen and its contents that had an odd sheen; Becker saw a bottle of oil and assumed that was the substance responsible. "What the h3ll?"
The occupants of the kitchen turned to notice the usually stoic man watching with a bemused expression, looking between the two of them questioningly.
"Hi Becker!" Claudia chirped, her voice high with excitement. "We, uh, we're making Yorkshire puddings."
Her cousin eyed the ingredient disaster that had disordered Claudia's typically organized and clean kitchen. "This must be a new baking technique. Say, I think I can smell something burning."
"The pudding!" Claudia shrieked, flying to the oven in panic.
Becker shook his head and left the kitchen.
"You're sure it's not too hot for them to come out?" Stephen asked, craning to see the Inn past Nick's shoulders. "Humans burn easily."
Nick shook his head fondly. "They're coming out. Just give them a few more minutes."
"We're so lucky to have them." Stephen mused. "I misjudged humanity, long before I ever met a member of it, and even though there are a lot of horrible and unkind and careless humans, I'm glad to know that there's quite a few like this lot."
Nick smiled softly. "They make me feel safe, especially Claudia. I'm glad that you've found that…security, that love, for yourself."
"That's Sarah defined- security and love. She's kinder than my mother, and- well, you met her once- she doted on everyone she met."
"Once she's sure they won't hurt her family!" Nick agreed, laughing.
Stephen snickered at the memory of his mother putting on a mean act to scare away any 'cowards' who might betray or hurt her loved ones. Nick and Abby had both passed the test brilliantly- Nick had nearly peed himself in fright, he revealed to Stephen afterward (likely his labssorant instinct keeping him strong, keeping him from turning away from Stephen), but Abby had met her death stare with one even more intimidating, causing the older mermaid to crack. Stephen had never really worried for Abby's safety after that unless humans were involved.
"I'm still surprised Sarah didn't rip her to pieces." Stephen admitted. He didn't need to clarify who 'her' was.
Nick made a 'hmm' noise of agreement. "So was I. I think the only reason she didn't was because she didn't want to leave your side. I would've dealt with her myself, but I was stuck in that blasted tank. But I could see how Sarah looked at you, how desperate she was to save you. Taking care of you was more important to you than getting revenge."
The blond merman ran a hand down his face. "I still can't believe how close I came to losing you." He admitted quietly. "I couldn't see much from in my tank, but I could see you enough, and Abby and I never left your side until the healers all but dragged you out of our hands. I thought you were going to die; I thought you were dead."
"Then you know the hell I went through when Helen took you- both times." Stephen admitted. "The first time, I didn't know anything. I didn't know who she was or where she'd taken you. I didn't know how many people knew about us. I didn't know if you were alive or what she might've been doing to you. All I knew was you were my labssorant and someone had taken you from me. Once I had you back, I told myself I'd never lose you again. And for eight years, I kept you safe from everyone and everything. I knew it was a risk, letting you get close to humans, but you were so happy I couldn't bring myself to deny you of it. In time, I came to trust them, respect them, and even fall in love with one of them, which even before Helen I didn't think was possible. But I did, and I don't regret it, and even when you were taken from me again and how horrible it was, I wasn't alone. I wasn't confused and in the dark; I knew exactly what was going on, and I had an entire family of humans on my side. I owe both our lives to them, but that debt doesn't frighten me. I trust them with it."
"Aw, c'mere. I gotta hug you after that."
Stephen laughed and let Nick pull him into a hug, returning the embrace wholeheartedly. Merfolk weren't particularly 'touchy-feely' creatures, but sometimes they didn't give a flying fish about what the norm was and hugged each other. Especially when they were labssorants.
They separated after a moment, and it was at that moment that they both heard the distinct sound of the Inn door opening, and the laughter of Claudia and Jenny. "It's about bloody time." Nick
During Nick and Stephen's conversation on the dock, a particular set of twins was having a very similar conversation inside the inn.
"C'mon, they're gonna think we're not coming out." Jenny laughed, watching in the mirror as Claudia struggled to help her twin sort out the many strappy bits of her bathing suit.
"They'll have to give us a few more minutes; you can't go out half-dressed." Claudia chided, then flashed a smirk at her twin through their shared reflection. "I mean, Danny probably wouldn't mind…." She teased, earning a scowl from Jenny.
"Speaking of Danny and clothes, I finally managed to pin down an appointment to look at wedding dresses." Jenny changed the subject. "And I browsed the website a bit. I actually kinda like the one-shoulder dresses."
"Oh, I bet you could pull that off. When's the appointment?"
"Next Thursday. Ugh, there's gonna be so many questions about every bloody detail of our relationship, and then they're gonna go after you for supposedly still being single."
"Can you imagine if Mum knew the truth?" Claudia scoffed.
"Yours or mine? They're both gonna be there."
The elder twin winced, having momentarily forgotten that Jenny wasn't raised by their biological parents. "Well, either of them."
Claudia made a 'hmm' in thought. "I think they'd both be glad we were happy. You can get away with bringing Danny to family functions since he's got an identity, but I'll have to pretend to be a spinster forever."
"Unless you have kids." Jenny pointed out. "Then there's gonna be questions, because you'd never let that happen unless you were in a stable relationship."
Claudia hummed in concession. "True, but we haven't even really talked about what we are yet, as silly as it sounds. There was always a draw, a pull between us, and we developed this…thing…but we never gave a name to it. It was only when things went bad that I realized exactly where I wanted our relationship to go, what I wanted to be able to call him… what I wanted to be able to call myself."
Jenny smirked. "Let me guess…the same things that Danny and I could call each other after we both pulled our heads out of our arses, and after he proposed, and after I get to put another ring next to this one?" She indicated her engagement ring.
Blushing, Claudia flicked her shoulder. "Don't tease me. But yes."
"It wasn't until Helen separated Danny and I that day that I realized I didn't want to live without him, and if she did anything to him I would kill her- sink my nails into her throat." Divulged Jenny quietly. "I'm guessing it was about the same for you?"
She watched Claudia's reflection nod in the mirror beside them both through her peripheral vision. "Yeah. Standing outside his tank after everyone had left, I found some very big, loud thoughts screaming at me in the silence. I was terrified of losing him…and you. God, I can't believe how close I came to losing you." Claudia admitted. "When you were taken and I couldn't find you, I was terrified. Once I knew that you'd been kidnapped, and by who…I'd've painted the world red to get you back." She admitted, reflecting on her mental state on that horrible day. "I'd've torn them all apart with my bare hands- Helen, Leek, Caroline, the guards. I nearly did just to get to you. But under the anger, I felt… sick… with fear. Even during that bloody yacht debacle, when I'd been so certain I was about to die, I hadn't been that scared."
Jenny nodded, chewing her lip. "I know how you feel. The only time I've felt so terrified was on that yacht trip, actually. The storm rolled in and the tree branches were coming down and the balcony furniture was all over the place and I knew even you couldn't fight your way through that storm- not on the yacht, anyway. A bigger boat, maybe, but not that one. And there's no real inlets between here and Beacon Cove, just that little place Danny said he and Patrick waited it out, so unless you hunkered down at the marina…."
"That's what I was trying to do, get into that little spot. I knew it wouldn't be ideal, but it would be better than being on the open sea. But the wind was too strong, and the waves…. You know, I could've sworn I told you that we capsized- you and Becker both."
Jenny gave her a confused look. "When was this?"
"When you hugged me, when you found me on the dock right after I woke up."
Jenny shook her head. "I didn't hear you. There was so much going on, Beck and I must've just…not heard you say that, for some reason."
Claudia shrugged. "Maybe I didn't say it loud enough. We were all crying, too. I always thought it was weird when everyone kept acting like- kept saying- that we didn't capsize, but I thought maybe you had thought I was being sarcastic-"
"Oh, Claudia, never." Jenny interjected, seeming horrified by the thought of not taking something like that seriously.
"-or maybe you were just choosing to pretend it never happened." Claudia finished sheepishly. "I know it was stupid, but I didn't bother correcting anyone because I didn't want to think about it any more, and I was afraid that the more I talked about it all, the more likely I was to slip up and say something about the merfolk."
Jenny smiled. "Glad those days are over. It's still a secret, but we all keep it together now."
Claudia smoothed out the strap she had been working on, now finished, but made no move to fuss at any of the others. "It's taken so much to get us here, though, to this happiness. We seemed so happy before, when we didn't know about their past and she hadn't come after them yet and Leek and Caroline hadn't started staying here yet. And we're happy again now, and we know we're all safe, but sometimes I wonder if the only reason we still have that happiness is because of what we all went through. Would we have fallen apart, grown bored or distant, if we hadn't had to fight for each other's lives?"
Jenny turned around, putting her hands comfortingly on her sister's shoulders. "If I'm being honest, yes, I think- I believe- you would have. And Stephen and Sarah, and Connor and Abby. But what happened, the things we survived, the things we did- it was worth it. We all know exactly who we are now, and look at us. Danny and I are still together, and so are you and Nick. Connor and Abby finally pulled their heads out of the sand and got together and Sarah and Stephen's bond grew stronger without any sense of secrecy or shame between them. How long would it have taken Connor and Abby to face how they felt about each other had it not been for them getting kidnapped, or Caroline? How long would it have taken Stephen to feel comfortable enough to tell Sarah about what happened and be comfortable with all the PDA they have if Helen hadn't turned up and united them against her?"
Claudia nodded. "That's a good point. I guess you're right. I just wish it hadn't cost so much to get us here. I still get nervous if I go looking for you and no one knows where you are." She confessed.
"And when it gets stormy I check on you and Danny and Patrick and Connor." Admitted Jenny in the same vein. "Even if you're all at home, I still worry."
Tearing up, Claudia pulled her equally dewy-eyed twin into a tight hug, burying her face into her little sister's neck. They held each other close, reaffirming to each other and themselves that they were whole and safe and alive and intact while the sorrows and stresses they had bottled up finally, at long last poured out.
"Now, enough of that." Jenny said decisively, pulling back and dabbing the tiny pools that had formed under her eyes. "Let's get outside already."
Claudia smiled and nodded, linking her arm with her twin's as they stepped into the hallway. "How much you wanna bet Connor's not out yet either?"
Their laughter echoed down the hallway.
It was a blisteringly hot day that day, and the family knew just how to beat the heat. Claudia had put her black swimdress on and Jenny got into her red cage one-piece (the situation that had required Claudia's assistance thanks to the numerous straps and fastenings), while Connor unashamedly strolled outside in nothing but a pair of Star Trek swim trunks- once they'd reminded him to go outside, that is. They headed outside and Becker, wearing his minimum amount of clothing as gray shorts (not swim shorts, regular shorts) and a similarly-colored t-shirt, saw his brother and immediately shook his head.
Sarah was a little shy about her swimsuit, a fetching pale sage blue one-piece with a matching short sarong wrap, but it complemented her well, and Stephen's gaze that roved over her appreciatively banished all doubts from her mind. Emily was really coming out of her shell with a white halter-neck bikini top and a short raisin-purple swim skirt. Her marriage to Henry had quickly trained her to cover as much of her skin as possible- both to cover bruises and to fit his standards of modesty (lest he take exception to her showing her collarbones), but gradually as her bruises had faded and her comfort level had gone up as they years went by, she became less and less afraid to cover up. Still, Emily hadn't shown this much skin since university.
And Charlotte had very masterfully concealed the scars on her stomach with a navy one-piece that was absolutely stunning on her, a band of mesh just under her chest but not revealing any of the pearly pink-white lines on her abdomen. Emily had helped her pick it out, and Patrick thought it was an excellent choice.
"It's amazing how much can change in a year, isn't it?" Patrick mused to Danny as the pair waited for their fiancées to come outside. "A year ago, it was just us, no family and sure we'd both be bachelors for life, and look at us now. Engaged to two of the most incredible women to ever walk the Earth, with a whole huge family of humans and bloody merpeople alike."
"If you'd told me that a year ago, I'd've called you mad." Danny agreed. "But I can't imagine any other life now. My life before seems so… dull and empty when I look back at it."
"Sometimes I wish that I'd met Charlotte years ago when we met Emily, but I wonder if we'd have become as close as we are now." Patrick admitted. He looked up to Danny's face but found his brother's gaze and focus locked entirely one something else, behind Patrick. "Danny?"
The younger Quinn looked over his shoulder to see Claudia and Jenny, clad in bathing suits, dragging Connor by an arm each with them.
Patrick laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Go on, get your girl. We can finish this later."
Danny needed no further encouragement to walk away, heading straight for his fiancée. Patrick watched him go with a knowing smile. "Whipped." He muttered.
Now, where was Charlotte?
"Oi, Connor, aren't you getting in?" Becker called, seeing his brother stand on the edge of the dock and not make any move to get off it.
"Yeah." Connor called back with an unconvincing voice. "In a minute." He dipped his foot forward, but his toes had barely brushed the surface before he snatched it back. "Cold."
"Well, it is the ocean, Connor." Becker remarked. He loudly shut his book- A Tale of Two Cities- and got up, tossing it into his seat as he strode toward his brother. "Go on, Connor, get in." He goaded with a smirk.
Connor fidgeted. "I will."
"Connor."
"It's cold!" He defended.
"You won't be cold once you've been in it for a few minutes." Becker reasoned. "C'mon, don't make me toss you."
Connor's response was to bolt away from the water, fleeing back toward the Inn. Becker shook his head fondly and gave chase, quickly catching up to his older brother and grabbing hold of him as their spectating relatives and friends cheered. He hefted his yelling and begging brother over his shoulders, striding across the lawn and onto the dock. He dragged out the torture a little more, carrying him all the way to the very end of the dock before heaving him into the water. Connor's strangled shriek was swallowed by the tremendous splash of his flailing body impacting the briny.
A rush of cold enveloped him, shocking him and causing goosebumps to erupt across the entire surface of his skin. A few moments later, he was being lifted back out of the water by a certain blonde mermaid.
Unfamiliar giggling reached Becker's ears despite his own hearty laughter, and curiously he turned around to see a face he'd only seen twice before- that of Princess Jessica. She was not wearing her crown or any of her usual accessories, save one single strand of pink and white pearls, and her bangs were braided up out of her eyes, running straight into the braid of the rest of her hair that hung over one shoulder. Big Aegean-blue eyes gleamed with laughter as she watched him.
"Princess Jessica!" He greeted, turning to crouch on the edge of the dock to be closer to eye-level with her. "This is a surprise. Is something wrong?"
"No." She replied. "I just wanted to come back to this place. It's so lovely, and so are the people who live here."
Becker smiled. "Well, being one of those people, I take that as a great compliment. Are you getting out of the water?"
"Yes, I would like to, but I understand humans don't walk around without clothes, and I don't have any. The first time my family and I were here, we were offered clothes, but you didn't know I was coming this time."
He nodded understandingly. "Well, I know where we keep those clothes are, so I could go get you a dress if you like." She nodded eagerly, and he fetched a dress for her- the exact dress she'd donned the previous time, which along with Matthew's lent shirt had been returned by Cerise a few weeks ago, along with an apology.
Becker helped the mermaid get out of the water, since this time she had no ramp or fellow Atlanteans in the water to assist her, and she toweled off and pulled the dress on. Ever the gentleman, he offered her a hand, which she accepted with a blindingly bright smile. "Since you seem so interested in this place, could I interest you in a walk around the property?"
"I would love that! And, I'm terribly sorry, but we didn't get around to the introductions last time, so I'm afraid I never got to know your name." The princess prompted with an apologetic look.
"No need to be sorry. Everyone calls me 'Becker'." He answered.
"Princess Jessica, but don't you dare use my title."
"Whatever you say, princess." He joked with an impish grin. Fortunately, she took it well, giggling musically and hooking her arm through his extended bent one. "Did you swim all the way here alone?" Becker inquired.
"No." She replied, twisting and pointing at the dock Emily and Sarah were standing on. "My brother Matthew came with me."
Becker turned as well, now realizing what it was she looked at. Indeed, Prince Matthew was hoisting himself out of the water and onto the dock that Emily was standing on, picking up one of the towels there. Sarah was walking away with a smile, heading in the direction of Stephen.
"I'm dressed." Matthew reported, fastening the button on his trousers, and Emily turned around. "I'm verry sorry if I frightened you- it wasn't my intention." He apologized sincerely.
Emily waved a hand dismissively, smiling now. "Don't worry, you only startled me."
His eyes followed the movement of her hand and he frowned, catching her hand gently with his own and inspecting it carefully. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
She looked at what he was seeing and laughed heartily at his misplaced concern. "Oh, the scratches? That's nothing. I do a lot in the gardens here and my gloves were very old, and the rosebushes are very thorny. I'll heal."
He nodded, massive thumbs tracing featherlight over the crisscrossing red lines. Surprising her, he lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them. Her heart fluttered in her chest like an absolute cliché and she smiled widely. "Would you like to see?" She offered, and he gave her a bemused look. "The gardens, I mean." She clarified.
Matthew nodded, returning her smile with a small, soft one of his own. "Lead the way."
Sarah had seen Matthew swimming away from his sister and toward herself and Emily, so she had made up an excuse and stepped away to let them talk. She'd heard very nice things about Prince Matthew, and she had caught him shooting adoring glances at her at the failed summit. Maybe they'd get along, start something, but prince or not, if he upset her, Sarah's wrath alone would teach him a valuable lesson.
Barefoot she wandered away, having foregone sandals to avoid losing them when she inevitably got into the water. Heading down the shoreline, she caught sight of Stephen with only his shoulders and chest out of the water, one elbow propped on the raised surface of the coast and watching her intently, a soft and fond expression on his face. She made her way over to him.
"You going to float there and stare at me all day, or are you gonna talk to me?" Sarah asked teasingly, her mouth set in a wide smile.
"Why can't I do both?" He returned cheekily. "You make such a pretty picture."
She turned her head away, shaking it with a blushing face. "Flatterer."
"Is it flattery if I'm being honest?"
Sarah made a flapping motion with her hand, as if she could bat away the compliments she was deservingly receiving, but Stephen wasn't offended in the least. He wasn't very good with accepting praise or kindness himself (and therefore had no room to argue), but they were both working on it since neither of them intended to stop.
She sat down on the edge of the ground, swinging her bare feet into the water, and leaned down to kiss him. He nudged her knees apart gently with one hand, moving closer to her within the space granted, and wrapped his arms around her in almost a hug. Her hands came to lace together behind his neck, and she sighed contentedly.
Stephen smirked against her mouth, momentarily confusing her, but in the next moment she was moving, and not by her choice. Cold water washed over her, a sudden contrast to the warmth of the sun she'd been happily soaking up, and she surfaced with a sputter. She pulled her dripping onyx-black hair out of her face to see Stephen laughing with a wide smile, leaning back against where she'd just been sitting.
"Stephen!" She chastised jokingly, unable to fight the grin that spread across her own face. "Oh, you're gonna get it." She made to splash him, conjuring a pretty sizeable wave, but he smoothly dodged it by going back underwater. A moment later, she felt a hand around her ankle and was jerked under again, but promptly released.
They resurfaced at the same time, and Sarah came front-crawling toward him with a competitive grin, prompting Stephen to hastily flee, both of them laughing.
When Connor had been hurled by his brother into the water, Abby had been on her way open from where she sometimes slept, since she had only just woken up and eaten. She felt the impact of Connor hitting the water before she saw it, the vibration and rippling current detected by her enhanced senses. A split-second later her keen eyes picked up the familiar form of Connor flailing about in the sea, causing her to giggle with a burst of bubbles.
Coming up under him, she popped her head out of the water, arms finding their places under his knees and around his shoulders so he was held to her chest in what some called a bridal or princess carry, although usually the roles were reversed. "Hi." She greeted cheerily.
"Abs?" Connor queried, blinking the water off his eyelashes. "Hey, Abby. Whatcha doing?"
"Holding you. You remember that ride I took you on, way back when we barely knew each other?"
He grinned. "You mean when I thought you were gonna kill me and then I ended up loving every minute of it and you decided not to eat me after all?"
The mermaid rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that. And we don't eat people, that's a myth. My point being…do you wanna go on another ride? I thought it might be fun."
"Super cool! Er, let me just run back inside and get me goggles, maybe a scuba tank; if we're gonna be underwater for a while, I can't hold me breath too long."
Abby agreed, and a few minutes later he returned, goggles over his eyes and a diving tank strapped to his back. He lowered himself into the water, wrapping his legs around her waist and his arms around her ribcage. After checking that he was ready, the mermaid dove underwater and barreled forward.
Now that Connor had leave to freely appreciate the sights without fear of being strangled or drowned in the depths, with the utmost trust in the mermaid whose back he rode on, he found it all the more thrilling and enchanting. A hundred shades of blue seemed to explode in his vision, the different depths and amounts of light in the water giving him a whole spectrum within a single color. Cobalt and cerulean, azure and sapphire, teal and cyan, cornflower and turquoise, and shades and variations he didn't even know if there were names for.
And that was the water itself alone. Above the surface, the landscape was gorgeous, competing with the greatest works of art known to man, but below there was a whole new scenery he'd never put much thought to. The shells and shell-dwellers on and in the sand, the rocks both alone and in formations, the fish seeming to hold every color in the rainbow and beyond in their scaly skins- the clearest videos and photos didn't hold a candle to the real thing.
Charlotte watched Emily walk away from the water with Prince Matthew, looking happier than she had in years, and a grinning Stephen dunk a laughing Sarah. She was happy to see her friends happy, and in that moment her own pains and traumas were at the back of her mind.
"Hey, Charlotte." She heard one of the twins- Jenny, she decided after a moment- speaking to her. She turned to face her, mentally pumping her fist in satisfaction at guessing correctly. Claudia and Jenny's voices were almost identical, but Jenny's pronunciation was a little more proper, a little clearer compared to Claudia's. It was hard to tell them apart by voice alone unless you'd known them for a while.
Charlotte smiled warmly. "Hey, Jenny."
Her future sister-in-law linked her arm through hers. "I was walking by your room last night at about two in the morning, and I could just barely make out Patrick talking your ear off?"
Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, God, he went on and on about all the different pets he and Danny had as kids, which evolved into a lengthy discussion about dogs. He finally went to bed when he was yawning more than talking, and that was about half-three."
"I never imagined one person could talk about one general topic for four hours straight, but I remember one time Danny and I were driving out for one of our dates and he talked nonstop about his copper days. Quinns, am I right?"
Charlotte chuckled. "God, yes. We're marrying into a chaotic family."
Laughing, Jenny nodded in agreement. "No kidding. They're a mad pair, but they're wonderful in their own ways."
Softly smiling, the pair stood in silence for a moment, still arm-in-arm as they gazed out across the sunny sea, basking in the smell and the sound of the sea and the feeling of the warm sun and cool ocean breeze and each other's company.
Then, Charlotte spoke again. "I can't wait to call you my sister-in-law."
Jenny squeezed the older woman's arm. "Me either."
At that moment, Danny sauntered up to them. "Sorry, Charlotte, but I'm gonna have to steal Jenny."
Charlotte smiled. "Of course. I suspect Patrick will be looking for me soon anyway."
"…and this one, this is white carnation. It represents innocence, and pure love."
Matthew examined the flower she handed him, its ruffle-edged petals and snowy color. He had been fascinated with literally every single plant she showed him, responding to her with an enthusiasm she knew was genuine. With gentle and cautious hands, he tenderly reached up and tucked the white carnation behind her ear, looking perfectly at home among her dark curls. Emily blushed.
"There. It suits you." The merman prince declared.
Emily smiled ruefully. "I don't think this one represents me very well." She admitted.
"Then I shall have to find one that does." He returned, undeterred, a soft smile on his lips. He hesitated a moment, then spoke again. "I'm sure that you know that in many human cultures and religions, there is the concept of great and beautiful winged people that I believe you call 'angels'. Well, in Atlantis, we don't have them in our traditions, but we know of them in others. And when I saw you for the first time…I thought perhaps we were wrong and they were real after all."
Emily ducked her head and blushed madly. "Sweet-talker."
"I don't know what that means, but if it means you're rightly flattered by what I said, then yes, I am."
She remembered what Henry's first impression of her had been, when he told her a few months later. He had told her she looked sweet, innocent, and out of her depth. That she had found both confusing and a little insulting, but her mother had told her that since she had been attending university for history and English and not government or political topics, he had probably meant that everything was clearly unfamiliar to her. Assuaged, she had brushed it off, but as time went on she had realized that he had patronized her and called her naïve from the start.
But Matthew? He saw her as strong and beautiful, noble and elegant, upstanding and graceful. Those were things that for a long time she hadn't thought she was capable of being, virtues she was sure she had lost along with her innocence and freedom.
But now, over five years after leaving Henry, she finally recognized that she was healing. She was surrounded by wholesome, loving, kind, supportive men, and although she had had encounters with not-so-pleasant ones, either they were easy enough to get away from, or she (or her friends and relatives) had killed them. And so she was gradually getting more comfortable around them, and she had the subconscious knowledge that she and her loved ones were more than capable of handling any man or woman that tried to hurt her. If Henry came after her once his forty-year prison tenure was over, she knew she could look him in his cold blue eyes and put a bullet between them if need be.
Beyond that, she was slowly finding it easier to show more skin and not mind it. She was still a modest woman, but she found herself wandering around in T-shirts and tank tops, in shorts and skirts and dresses that came above her knees, and enjoying them all.
She spoke louder, stopped letting others talk over her (barring emergencies), and laughed freely. She did 'unladylike' things like put her elbows on the table, swear, be sarcastic, and wear sweatshirts and sweatpants. It was all pretty minor stuff, but it was those minor things that she enjoyed- the freedom to do whatever she wanted however she wanted to do it, and she didn't have to be on her guard about how she sat or how she spoke.
Coming back into the present, to the (mer)man that in less than an hour and two encounters (one of which they hadn't even spoken during) had made her feel happier and better and more comfortable and confident in herself than any past boyfriend, or even Henry's perfectly-gentlemanly courting days. She found herself deciding that she wouldn't mind spending more time with the plant-loving prince.
"Tell you what," she suggested, "I have a couple books on the language of flowers- what each one means and all that. I could get them for you to read, if you like?"
Matthew smiled. "Only if we read them together."
Claudia picked her way down the short, uneven slope of ground leading to her and Nick's dock (maybe they should carve their initials into it… no stop it Claudia that's so teenage girl), and eyed Jenny as she walked over to Charlotte. When she took her eyes away they landed on a particular blond merman, sitting ever so (im)patiently on the dock, watching her make her way to him with a soft and fond smile on his face.
She greeted him with a warm smile that he returned. "Sorry we kept you waiting." She apologized, twisting her head to press a kiss on his mouth as she sat down beside him. "Jenny was having trouble with all those straps on her bathing suit. Not sure how she's gonna get back out of it."
"Maybe Daniel can help her with that." Nick suggested cheekily.
Claudia gaped at him in surprised mock-affront. "Why, Nick!" She chuckled. "No, actually I said something pretty similar to her about it. Just wasn't expecting that from you, that's all."
She kicked her feet idly in the water, and her eyes were caught by something under the surface. Gesturing with her chin, she asked, "What's that?"
Nick grinned, then bent to grab the thing out of the water. However, instead of producing the large something she could see, he took something out of it- and flung it at her.
Claudia shrieked as none other than a dead fish hit her in the chest, only to land in her lap and slide off into the water. "Nick!" She protested.
The blond laughed and retrieved the fish that had fallen, producing a woven net stuffed full of large fish. "I caught these yesterday and today for you. Why pay for old fish when I can catch them for you?"
"Aww, that's sweet of you. Fresh fish, free of charge."
He shook his head with a faux-serious expression. "Oh, no, there's a charge."
"Oh, and what is that?"
He smirked. "A kiss."
Claudia rolled her eyes playfully and leaned in to give him a kiss. "Do I have to kiss you for each one?" She asked after.
"I'll think about it." He replied, then dropped the fish back in her lap.
She yelped in surprise and jumped, sending it into the water yet again. "Oi! Don't make me dunk you."
He laughed at the unintimidating 'threat'. "Dunk me? You forget I live in the sea."
She pouted adorably at his solid logic. "Nobody likes to be dunked. Throw another fish at me and you'll find out."
His grin seemed to widen, if at all possible, and a moment later another fish was flipped onto her lap.
"Oh, you-" Claudia cut herself off with a wordless sound as she surged over to him, shoving him into the water as threatened and inadvertently falling in with him.
They resurfaced again a moment later, both laughing. Tossing the lone fish up onto the dock to land beside the net, Nick drew Claudia in close, with her hands landing on his chest. "Let's see- I caught nineteen fish, and you already kissed me for one, so that's eighteen kisses you owe me for this net's worth."
He kissed her. "One." He kissed her again, despite her laughing at his almost childish behavior. "Two."
After about half an hour of rushing around underwater, exploring and discovering and having an absolute blast, Abby brought herself and Connor to the surface. They were nowhere near the Inn, and although the tierra of England was still visible behind them in the distance, they otherwise seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The ocean here had a strong current, but Abby was firmly in her place so that although they bobbed and swayed in the water, they wouldn't go anywhere.
Connor remained on her back, but took the scuba mouthpiece out and slid his goggles up onto his head. "Did you enjoy it better this time?" Abby asked, craning her head back to try to meet his eyes.
"Oh my God, Abs, did I ever. Now, look, the first time was great, it was brilliant, but you took me even farther this time, and we stayed under longer, and-"
Abby smiled fondly as he continued to ramble on and on about how much he had enjoyed their trip, occasionally making a comment or 'mm-hmm' at the right places. Eventually, he stopped talking (not that she minded him talking, not at all) and simply rested his chin on her shoulder, gazing out at the view.
They stayed like that for a while, watching the clouds float overhead, boats of cottony mist sailing in the sea-sky, moving through and tearing apart and reforming. They watched schools of fist swim around them unbothered, and flocks of crying birds soar overhead with their wings flapping in tandem, in a rhythm only they understood.
After a bit, as the sun was dropping toward the horizon just enough to cast a rich gold color over everything its rays touched. Abby unwrapped his legs and arms from around her, and pulled him around so they were face-to-face. She let him cling to her like an octopus again so he didn't sink, but now she had him right where she wanted him.
Her fingers threaded through his wet hair and pulled him in to her, meeting him halfway to press her mouth to his. One of his arms left where it was around her back to hook around the back of her neck and bring her closer to himself. And they floated peacefully in the water together, painted in the setting sun's golden light.
"C'mon," she breathed, "let's go home."
"Alright, how about this one?"
"'Krees-ant-he-mum'?"
Emily chuckled and shook her head. "No. 'Kruh-san-thuh-mum'. Try it again."
Matthew nodded, studying the word 'chrysanthemum' again for a moment. "'Kruh-san-thuh-mum'?"
"Very good!" Emily praised. "Some people just call them 'mums' though, so that might be easier to remember. We don't have any of those here right now."
Matthew picked another flower to practice. "'Glad-eye-oh-lus'?"
"Close. 'Glah-dee-oh-lus'."
"'Glah-dee-oh-lus.'" He repeated.
"Well done! And if you look-" Emily leaned forward on the bench swing they sat on and pointed. "-there's some growing right there."
Matthew looked to where she indicated. "They're prettier in real life."
"Yeah, no matter how good the drawing is or how clear the picture is, it never quite compares to reality." Emily agreed.
Matthew looked down at the book in his lap again. "It says here that they represent strength of character and moral integrity, among other things." He nodded with a satisfied expression. "I think I found your flower."
Emily made a humming noise of consideration, skimming the rest of the page before glancing back up to the real-life version. "I think I like that."
Charlotte felt a body press up against her back, arms encircling her waist and a chin resting on her shoulder. "Hey love." She greeted.
"Hey dear." Returned Patrick, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "How do you feel today?"
She made a humming noise in her throat. "Good. My leg doesn't hurt, and I'm not limping."
"Good." He agreed. "You deserve all the good days, the best of days." He leaned slowly from side to side and she moved with him, closing her eyes and savoring the tender moment.
"So, do I finally get to see you swim, or are you just going to sit on shore and watch me splash around like a fool?" Charlotte teased.
She didn't need to look at him to know he was rolling his eyes fondly. "I can't swim very well and you know it, my darling. Although I think I saw a couple of those inflatable donut floating things in the shed- I suppose I could blow those up and we could float together."
"Mm, sounds lovely to me." Charlotte agreed.
Patrick half-turned her in his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He slipped his hand into hers and brought it up to his mouth, pressing a tender kiss to it. A thumb ran along the side of her ring, the first personal item she'd requested after regaining consciousness. He turned puppy eyes to meet hers. "No regrets?" He asked.
"Never." She declared proudly. "Not for a single second."
And she meant it. With her whole heart, she meant it.
Some lines are taken from Primeval
| Author's notes: The penultimate chapter…*sniffling*…just the epilogue now. This took entirely too long to write, but fluff isn't my strong suit and I got sick. Sue me.
| Also I should've mentioned this a while ago but I picture Claudia's kitchen as the kitchen on Downton Abbey. Obviously there's modern ovens and pans and such, and the refrigerator keeps moving between two spots in my head, but it's basically the same.
| Cerise is the name of a very minor, blonde-haired and blue-eyed character in Series 4 and 5. She's one of Lester's assistants.
| Ironically I have a really random headcanon that purple gladiolus is Claudia's favorite flower, something that's referenced in some of my unpublished works. Gladioluses meaning strength of character and etc. was purely coincidence but I decided to put it in anyway.
| Fluff is not easy for me to write and kissing is the absolute hardest. Please enjoy my poorly-written kiss scenes because they were incredibly difficult.